Australian Aboriginal Voices in Parliament Referendum

On Saturday the 14th of October a referendum was held in Australia on whether the constitution should be altered to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people through the creation of an Indigenous advisory body, the “Voice to parliament“. 

Australia's Indigenous citizens, who make up 3.8% of the country's 26 million population, have inhabited the land for about 60,000 years but are not mentioned in the constitution. With historic and current conflict, the aboriginal people, by most socio-economic measures, are considered the most disadvantaged people in the country. 

In order for a referendum to be passed, at least four of the six states need to vote in favour for the change, along with a national majority. On this occasion, Australia’s clear majority rejected the proposal to recognise Indigenous people in the constitution. With all 6 Australian states rejecting the act of altering the 122-year-old constitution, and with the majority of voters supporting this view, the referendum was unsuccessful. "No" vote led "Yes" 60% to 40%. 

This is seen as a large step backward in the country's efforts to find common ground and make up for its conflicts in the past with its First Peoples. Academics and human rights advocates fear the win by the "No" proponents could set back reconciliation efforts by years. 

Supporters of the proposal believed that establishing an Indigenous Voice into the constitution would unite Australia and guide in a new era with its Indigenous people. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, a supporter of the referendum and whose campaign also largely consisted of advocating for an aboriginal voice in parliament, acknowledged it was not the outcome he had hoped for but said the country would have to seek a new way forward for reconciliation. 

"Our nation's road to reconciliation has often been hard going," Albanese said in a televised news conference. "Tonight is not the end of the road and is certainly not the end of our efforts to bring people together."